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<h1>HELP / FAQ</h1>

<h1>Dark Nova</h1>

<ul style="margin-top:0" type="disc">
 <li><a href="#Introduction"><strong>Introduction</strong></a></li>
 <li><a href="#Job"><strong>Your Job as a Space Trader</strong></a></li>
 <li><a href="#Trading"><strong>Trading</strong></a></li>
 <li><a href="#Spaceships"><strong>Spaceships</strong></a></li>
 <li><a href="#Travelling"><strong>Travelling through Space</strong></a></li>
 <li><a href="#Skills"><strong>Skills and Mercenaries</strong></a>: <a href="#Pilot">Pilot</a>,<a href="#Fighter">Fighter</a>, <a href="#Traderskill">Trader</a>, <a href="#Engineer">Engineer</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Encounter"><strong>An Encounter in Space</strong></a>: <a href="#Trader">Trader</a>, <a href="#Pirate">Pirate</a>, <a href="#Police">Police</a>, <a href="#Destruction">Destruction</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Goods"><strong>Trade Goods</strong></a>: <a href="#Water">Water</a>, <a href="#Furs">Furs</a>, <a href="#Food">Food</a>, <a href="#Ore">Ore</a>, <a href="#Games">Games</a>, <a href="#Firearms">Firearms</a>, <a href="#Medicine">Medicine</a>, <a href="#Machines">Machines</a>, <a href="#Narcotics">Narcotics</a>, <a href="#Robots">Robots</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Equipment"><strong>Equipment</strong></a>: <a href="#Weapons">Weapons</a>, <a href="#Shields">Shields</a>, <a href="#Gadgets">Gadgets</a>, <a href="#Pod">Escape Pod</a>, <a href="#Insurance">Insurance</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Types"><strong>Ship Types</strong></a>: <a href="#Flea">Nanomite</a>, <a href="#Gnat">Minox</a>, <a href="#Firefly">Spathi Scout</a>, <a href="#Mosquito">T16 Womprat</a>, <a href="#Bumblebee">Vorchan</a>, <a href="#Beetle">Hirogen Freighter</a>, <a href="#Hornet">Vorlon Cruiser</a>, <a href="#Grasshopper">YT-1100</a>, <a href="#Termite">T&#39;khar Uberhauler</a>, <a href="#Wasp">Vix Dreadnought</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Tech"><strong>Tech Levels</strong></a>: <a href="#Pre">Pre-agricultural</a>, <a href="#Agricultural">Agricultural</a>, <a href="#Medieval">Medieval</a>, <a href="#Renaissance">Renaissance</a>, <a href="#Early">Early Industrial</a>, <a href="#Industrial">Industrial</a>, <a href="#Post">Post-industrial</a>, <a href="#Hi">Hi-tech</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Political"><strong>Political Systems</strong></a>: <a href="#Anarchy">Anarchy</a>,<a href="#Capitalist">Capitalist State</a>,<a href="#Communist">Communist State</a>,<a href="#Confederacy">Confederacy</a>, <a href="#Corporate">Corporate State</a>, <a href="#Cybernetic">Cybernetic State</a>, <a href="#Democracy">Democracy</a>, <a href="#Dictatorship">Dictatorship</a>, <a href="#Fascist">Fascist State</a>, <a href="#Feudal">Feudal State</a>, <a href="#Military">Military State</a>, <a href="#Monarchy">Monarchy</a>, <a href="#Pacifist">Pacifist State</a>, <a href="#Socialist">Socialist State</a>, <a href="#Satori">State of Satori</a>, <a href="#Technocracy">Technocracy</a>, <a href="#Theocracy">Theocracy</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Tips"><strong>Tips</strong></a></li>
 <li><a href="#LastWord"><strong>A Last Word</strong></a></li>
</ul>

<h2 id="Introduction">Introduction</h2>

<p>You grew up as a member
of a small colony on a planet in a solar system that is part of the Great
Galactic Federation (GGF). You worked on your family&#39;s farm, dreaming about a
life as an intergalactic trader. You imagined yourself buying goods on one
system, selling them on another making huge profits, battling pirates, finding
opportunities and perhaps, one day, buy your own moon to which you could retire
to live a wealthy and peaceful life for the rest of your days. <br/>
After your parents died, as their only child you inherited the farm. Since it
would be too difficult to run it all on your own, you saw your chance clear and
sold it to a neighbor. With the earnings, you bought a second-hand space ship
of the Minox type, equipped it with one pulse laser, and went to the local GGF
spaceport to buy trade goods with your last 1000 credits. This is where your
life as a space trader begins.</p>

<h2 id="Job">Your Job as a Space Trader</h2>

<p>Your ultimate goal as a space trader is to amass
enough money so you can buy your own moon, then claim that moon to retire to
it. You need a lot of money for that, and will encounter many dangers, so along
the way you might want to buy a better ship and better equipment. <br/>
At first, the main point is to stay alive, and earn some money by trading. The
GGF has a spaceport in every solar system, where goods locally produced are
sold, and goods the locals need are bought. A good trader will judge, based on
the systems tech level, government type, resources and current situation, which
goods are cheap and which are expensive in a system, and will adapt his trading
strategy accordingly. <br/>
Later on, when you are better equipped, you might try to become a bounty hunter
alongside your trading job. If you feel so inclined, you might also become a
pirate and rob other traders of their goods. Being a pirate can be very
profitable, but remember that the police will try to hunt you down, and that,
as a pirate, you cannot sell goods out in the open (even those that you bought
legally). You need an intermediary to sell your goods, and this sleazy person
will take 10% of everything your cargo sells for. This makes the return to an
honest life all the more difficult. </p>

<h2 id="Trading">Trading</h2>

<p>You usually start trading by selling the
goods you currently have in your cargo holds, so you earn enough money to buy
new goods. You can, of course, leave them stored in your holds if you expect it
is worth your while to travel to another system to sell them. <br/>
As long as you have empty cargo bays and cash, and as long as the spaceport has
affordable goods available, you can buy goods. Before you choose what you are
going to buy, however, it is best to consider which system you are going to
sell them to. The Short Range Chart in your ship will show which systems are
within range. Before you examine the Short Range Chart, you best get a full
tank of fuel at the Ship Yard. This will make it easier for you to find out
which systems you can travel to. The price for fuel depends on the type of
ship. While you are at the Yard, you can make hull repairs if you feel that&#39;s
necessary. <br/>

The Short Range Chart is connected to an encyclopedia, which can tell you a few
things about a system. Most important to decide which system you select, as
your next target is the Average Price List of that system. This shows you which
goods might be expected to earn you a profit. Note that there is no guarantee
that you will actually get the price shown in the list. It doesn&#39;t take into
account special resources (unless you know about them) and special situations
of the target system. And prices always fluctuate a bit. <br/>
Another thing, which might be of importance to you, is how many pirates you
might expect en route to your selected system. Especially early in your career,
you might wish to avoid systems which are heavily infested with pirates. The
same holds for the police when you are trafficking illegal goods. <br/>
When you know which system you want to travel to, you can buy the appropriate
cargo, and warp away. <br/>
When you feel you&#39;d like to lend a bit of money so you can start off your
trading career a bit faster, you can apply for a loan at the local bank.
Depending on your police record and your current worth, the bank will probably
be willing to help you out. Note, however, that 10% interest must be paid
daily, which will be automatically deducted from your cash balance when you go
into warp. </p>

<h2 id="Spaceships">Spaceships</h2>

<p>Every type of ship has
certain characteristics, making some ships better for trading and others better
for pirating or bounty hunting. Your first ship, of the Minox type, is mainly
used for trading since it is rather weak and has few defensive capabilities.
You might be able to win a few battles with it, though, especially if you are a
good fighter. Later on, you can buy a ship better suited to your purpose. <br/>
Ships differ in their hull strengths, number of cargo bays, number of weapon
slots, number of shield slots, number of gadget slots, number of crew quarters
and maximum travelling range. At the Ship Yard, they will be able to inform you
about the capabilities of each ship. <br/>

When you decide to buy a new ship, you trade in your old one, including its
equipment. The worth of your ship, including its cargo and equipment, is
subtracted from the price of the new ship. You should be warned that if you
have cargo on board which the people in the current system don&#39;t want, you
would lose that cargo without any compensation. You therefore better sell a
ship with empty cargo bays. If you have an escape pod installed on your old
ship that will be transferred to your new ship. Any insurance you have will
also be transferred, including no-claim. <br/>
Equipment you can buy for your ship is divided in three groups. The first group
consists of weapons, and you can select one of three types of lasers for each
weapon slot. The more expensive a laser, the more power it has. The second
group consists of shields, and you can choose one of two shields for each
shield slot. The more expensive the shield is, the better the protection it
gives. The last group consists of gadgets, which may enhance certain functions
of a ship. <br/>
The most important part of a spaceship is its hull. If the hull strength is
reduced to zero percent during a fight, the ship will explode, killing everyone
on it and destroying everything it was carrying. You might fly your ship with
low hull strength, but it is best not to do that. Repairs can be made at the
Ship Yard and are fairly cheap, especially for the smaller ship types. The only
way to survive the destruction of your ship is to have an escape pod installed,
which will eject you automatically when your ship can&#39;t be saved anymore. </p>

<h2 id="Travelling">Travelling through Space</h2>

<p>Space travel consists of a four-step procedure: </p>

<ul style="margin-top:0" type="disc">
 <li><em>Leaving the spaceport</em>. After you have refueled your ship, sold your cargo, bought new
     goods, and perhaps made some repairs, you simply ask the control tower for
     permission to depart, and fly your ship into space.</li>

 <li><em>Warping to another system</em>. As soon as you have left the spaceport area, you activate your
     warp engine. The warp engine creates a hyperspace bubble around your ship,
     and you get transported to your target system instantly. This is what
     actually consumes the fuel. You materialize at a safe distance from the
     target system&#39;s spaceport, usually about 20 clicks.</li>
 <li><em>Approaching the target spaceport</em>. The last few clicks en route
     to the target spaceport are the most dangerous of your journey. You may
     and very probably will encounter several other ships, among which there
     may be fellow traders, police ships, and pirates. Fellow traders won&#39;t
     attack unless provoked. The police might ask you to submit to an
     inspection, of which an honest trader, who doesn&#39;t deal in illegal goods
     (firearms and narcotics), has nothing to fear. Pirates will often attack
     you on sight.</li>
 <li><em>Docking at the target spaceport</em>. When you have reached the target spaceport, you are safe from
     interventions by other ships, and you can dock at your leisure after you
     have asked permission of the control tower.</li>
</ul>

<p>A few solar systems are
lucky to have a wormhole nearby. A wormhole is a rift in the space-time
continuum, which leads directly from one place in the galaxy to another. You
can use the wormhole to travel to another system in an instant, even if that
other system is at the other end of the galaxy. You can only enter a wormhole
from the spaceport of the system that owns it. That system will tax you for the
use of the wormhole. The tax depends on your ship type: poor traders with a
small ship pay considerably less than rich traders with a huge ship. On the
plus side: you won&#39;t spend any fuel travelling through a wormhole, which
compensates partly for the tax. </p>

<h2 id="Skills">Skills and Mercenaries</h2>

<p>There are four basic skills important to
a trader. You will probably excel in one or two skills, and lack in the others.
However, you can compensate for that by hiring mercenaries. Mercenaries have
skills just like you, and if a mercenary is, for instance, a better pilot than
you are, he or she will take over your piloting duties when needed. Mercenaries
can sometimes be hired at a spaceport. Just examine the Personnel Roster to see
if anyone is available. If you hire a mercenary, you have to pay him or her a
certain amount of credits daily. You have to cough these up right before you
warp, otherwise the mercenary simply won&#39;t travel with you, but instead return
to his or her home system.</p>

<h3 id="Pilot">Pilot</h3>

<p>The pilot skill determines how well you
pilot your ship. A high piloting skill will enable you to flee from attacks
easily, dodge attacks, and to stay on the tail of fleeing ships if you want to
keep attacking them. This makes the piloting skill important to both traders
and pirates. A navigating system will enhance your piloting capabilities.</p>

<h3 id="Fighter">Fighter</h3>

<p>The fighter skill determines how well you
handle your weapons, in particular, how easy it is for you hit another ship. A
trader who isn&#39;t interested in a pirating or bounty hunting career hasn&#39;t that
much use of this skill, but for a pirate it is an absolute must. A targeting
system will enhance your fighting capabilities.</p>

<h3 id="Traderskill">Trader</h3>

<p>The trader skill
determines what prices you must pay for trade goods, ships and equipment. A
good trader can reduce prices up to 10%. This makes a high trader skill
invaluable for traders, while pirates have less use for it. In the early stages
of your life as a trader you might have a hard time getting any money if you
work with low trading capabilities.</p>

<h3 id="Engineer">Engineer</h3>

<p>The engineer skill determines how well
you keep your ship in shape. A good engineer may keep your hull and shields
intact during a fight, will repair them quicker while travelling, and may even
enhance your weaponry a bit so it does more damage. This makes the engineer
skill important for both traders and pirates. An auto-repair system will
enhance the engineering capabilities. </p>

<h2 id="Encounter">An Encounter in Space</h2>

<p>Sooner or later you will encounter other ships in space. Depending on the type of encounter, several things can happen.</p>

<h3 id="Trader">An Encounter with a Trader</h3>

<p>When you encounter a trader, the trader
will usually ignore you. Occasionally a trader will hail you to ask whether you
want to trade some goods. The deal offered might be good, but the trader might
try to rip you off. Caveat emptor. If you have a bad reputation, the trader
might flee on sight. A trader will never initiate an attack, but may respond
aggressively when you do. While fighting, you have the option to continue
attacking or to flee. If a trader finds the fight goes bad for him and he can&#39;t
manage to flee from you, he will often surrender to you. If he surrenders, you
may continue attacking, but you best accept his offer, because after that you
can plunder his cargo holds. If you don&#39;t have enough room to store all the
nice goods you rob, you can dump some of your own cargo is space. Beware,
however, that the police frowns upon space littering and such actions will go
on your record if they are noticed. </p>

<h3 id="Pirate">An Encounter with a Pirate</h3>

<p>A pirate will usually attack as soon as
he sees you, unless your reputation is such that he is afraid of you, in which
case he might flee. While fighting a pirate, you can attack him or try to flee.
You can even surrender to him, but in that case he will plunder your cargo
holds. If you think you are smart and have nothing in your holds, he will
extort cash from you under the threat of blowing your ship up. Surrender is
therefore a bad option, though it is better than fighting to the death. In rare
cases a pirate might decide to surrender to you. Plundering his ship usually
isn&#39;t as profitable as plundering a trader, because a pirate tends to travel
with many empty holds to store the goods he intends to get by robbing traders. </p>

<h3 id="Police">An Encounter with the Police</h3>

<p>As long as you are an honest trader, the
police will usually ignore you. They may ask you to submit to an inspection of
your cargo bays. As long as you are not carrying illegal goods (firearms or
narcotics), you have nothing to worry about: they will search your holds,
apologize, and up the status on your police record, indicating that you are
someone who doesn&#39;t need to be searched that often. However, if you are carrying
illegal goods, you best not let them search you, because then they will impound
the illegal goods and fine you. Instead of agreeing to an inspection, you can
try to bribe them. Depending on the type of government of the system, this is
either impossible (if they are incorruptible), or costs an amount of money
depending on how easy police officers under such a government can be bribed. It
is always a good idea to explore the option of bribery: you can decide not to
bribe them when you see how much money they want, but you might get away cheap.
The other options you have are to flee, or to attack them, in which case they
will certainly attack you. Both fleeing and attacking will seriously damage
your standing with the police. When your police record indicates that you are a
criminal, police ships won&#39;t ask for an inspection anymore, but will attack you
on sight. If your reputation indicates that you are too dangerous an opponent
for them, they also might flee immediately. When they consider you a really
dangerous criminal, they will send more and better ships after you. You can
surrender to the police, as long as you are not considered a psychopath they
rather take in dead. If you do, you will be taken to a court of law and tried.
You will have to spend some time in prison and pay a fine. If you don&#39;t have
the credits to settle your fine, the police will sell your ship and will pay
the fine out of the profits. If they need to do that, they will usually supply
you with a second-hand Nanomite when you leave prison. To avoid you having to
pay huge interests on a loan, if you have the credits, the police will usually
also settle those debts from your cash. Also remember that you can&#39;t pay your
mercenaries and insurance from your cell, so your hired hands will leave you
and your insurance will be stopped. </p>

<h3 id="Destruction">Destruction</h3>

<p>When things come to a
fight, and no one manages to escape and no-one surrenders, the fight will end
in the destruction of one or both ships. If you get destroyed, and you have no
escape pod, you will perish with your ship. If you survive and your opponent
gets killed, if you are lucky one of the cargo canisters from his ship will
drift in your direction and you can pick it up. </p>

<h2 id="Goods">Trade Goods</h2>

<p>There are ten different goods you can
trade. The first four (water, furs, food and ore) are natural resources, which
are cheapest in low-tech systems. The other six (games, firearms, medicine,
machines, narcotics and robots) are industrial goods and are cheapest in
high-tech systems. Basically, the price of natural goods increases with the
tech level, while the price of industrial goods decreases. <br/>
The price indications mentioned below are prices, which you can expect when no
special situations take place and systems don&#39;t have any special resources.
Special situations and special resources can dramatically influence the price
you have to pay or the price you get for trade goods. Your best bet is to
exploit these special circumstances, because they are your ticket to quick
richness. </p>

<h3 id="Water">Water</h3>

<p>Water can be bought and sold in any
system. Prices will vary mostly in the 30 to 54 credits range. Desert planets
will pay usually pay extra for water, while on planets with sweetwater oceans
it can be pretty cheap. During a drought, the price of water will rise
considerably. </p>

<h3 id="Furs">Furs</h3>

<p>Furs are made from the hides of animals
indigenous to a system. They can be bought on any system. Prices will vary
mostly in the 250 to 320 credits range. A lifeless system will pay more for
furs, and a system with rich fauna will have them available cheaply. During a
cold spell, the price of furs will certainly increase. </p>

<h3 id="Food">Food</h3>

<p>Except for pre-agricultural systems, food can be
bought in all systems. Prices will vary mostly in the 105 to 135 credits range.
The soil quality will influence the price of food: rich soil makes it cheaper,
poor soil more expensive. When there is a crop failure, the price of food will
rise. </p>

<h3 id="Ore">Ore</h3>

<p>Ore consists of raw materials, which are usually
bought by hi-tech systems from low-tech systems, so they can use them to
produce hi-tech goods. Agricultural systems won&#39;t have developed enough to be
able to mine ore, but you can buy it in any system with a higher tech level.
Prices will vary mostly in the 390 to 490 credits range. The abundance of
minerals in a system influences the price of ore: it&#39;s cheap in a mineral rich
system, and expensive in a mineral poor system. During wartime, ore is needed
for the production of ammunition and therefore quite expensive. </p>

<h3 id="Games">Games</h3>

<p>Games are used for relaxation and
entertainment, whether they are board games, computer games or dolls. After a
system has gone through medieval times and people have become free spirits,
games get produced and sold. Prices will vary mostly in the 180 to 240 credits
range. They will be cheaper if the solar system that sells them has a
particularly artistic populace. You best sell them to systems where people are
bored, since this will fetch you the highest price. </p>

<h3 id="Firearms">Firearms</h3>

<p>The GGF strictly forbids the trade in
firearms, and the patrolling police will impound them if they find them in your
cargo holds. However, once docked you will often be able to sell them for a
good price, unless the government is so strict that people don&#39;t dare to trade
them. Firearms, which are of interest as trade goods (even if only for their
collector&#39;s value) are produced in systems, which have at least left the middle
ages behind them. Prices vary mostly in the 725 to 1175 credits range. A
warlike population will produce more weapons than usual and will sell them
therefore cheaper. Of course, where there is a war they will sell for
considerably higher prices. </p>

<h3 id="Medicine">Medicine</h3>

<p>Early industrial systems and higher tech
levels produce medicine. Prices vary mostly in the 510 to 630 credits range.
Systems, which have special herbs as natural resources can produce them
cheaper, while systems, which suffer under a plague, will pay a lot for them. </p>

<h3 id="Machines">Machines</h3>

<p>Machines are produced by early industrial
systems and higher tech levels. Prices vary mostly in the 690 to 810 credits
range. Where there is a lack of workers, you&#39;ll find machines sell the best. </p>

<h3 id="Narcotics">Narcotics</h3>

<p>Like firearms, the GGF strictly forbids
trafficking drugs. However, they are often in high demand, even in low-tech
systems, and it can be very worth your while to try to sneak them past the
police. Industrial systems and higher tech levels can produce them. Prices vary
mostly in the 2625 to 3500 credits range. Some systems find there are weird
mushrooms among their natural resources, which produce excellent drugs for a
cheap price. You best sell them in systems where people are bored. </p>

<h3 id="Robots">Robots</h3>

<p>Robots are the ultimate hi-tech good, and
a system needs at least to have entered the post-industrial era to produce
them. Prices vary mostly in the 3950 to 4400 credits range. Especially systems,
which lack workers, have a need for robots and will pay the most for them. </p>

<h2 id="Equipment">Equipment</h2>

<p>Available equipment for your ship
consists of weapons, shields, gadgets and an escape pod. </p>

<h3 id="Weapons">Weapons</h3>

<p>There are three types of lasers: pulse
lasers, disrupters and (Justice class) military lasers. The tech level of a
system determines whether and which lasers are sold there. Military lasers are
the best, but also the most expensive. If you have more than one weapon slot on
your ship, it is probably wise to first fill them all before you start to buy
better lasers. Two pulse lasers often do more damage than one disruptor, and
are cheaper overall. If you have no weapon slots on your ship, or have bought
no weapons, you won&#39;t be able to attack. </p>

<h3 id="Shields">Shields</h3>

<p>There are two types of shields: energy
shields and reflective shields. The tech level of a system determines whether
and which shields are sold there. Reflective shields are the best. Shields
protect your hull from damage. When you are attacked, first your shields are
depleted, and only after they have been reduced to zero percent, your hull is
damaged. During your travels, your shields are automatically recharging, and
while you are docked at a spaceport they always recharge to 100%. </p>

<h3 id="Gadgets">Gadgets</h3>

<p>There are five types of gadgets
available. The tech level of a system determines whether and which gadgets are
sold there. For a beginning trader, the most interesting gadget is probably 5
extra cargo bays. These are fairly cheap and allow you to carry more cargo, so
you probably earn them back quickly. If there is more than one gadget slot on
your ship, you can even install more than one of this gadget, increasing your
cargo bays even more. A navigating system helps you piloting your ship. An
auto-repair system helps your engineering functions. A targeting system helps
you handle your weaponry. A cloaking device is perhaps the most interesting
gadget a trader can buy. It is very expensive, but it allows you to travel
through space undetected, as long as you don&#39;t attack. However, a good engineer
might detect a cloaked ship by its warp signature. The only way to avoid being
detected is to employ your own engineering skills to fluctuate your warp
signature. If a ship you pass has a better engineer than your own ship, you
can&#39;t expect to stay undetected, though. But even if you are detected, your
cloaking device is useful, since it makes you more difficult to hit and you can
escape more easily. </p>

<h3 id="Pod">Escape Pod</h3>

<p>An escape pod can be bought at the Ship Yard. If
you have one installed, when your ship gets destroyed it is activated automatically
and ejects your crew and yourself. The Space Corps will pick you up in a few
days time and drop you off at a nearby system. There you can convert the pod to
a ship and continue your journey, though your original ship and cargo will be
lost. </p>

<h3 id="Insurance">Insurance</h3>

<p>If you have an escape pod installed, you
can at the bank buy insurance for your ship. If you have insurance the bank
will refund your ship&#39;s trade-in value in the case of an escape pod ejection.
You have to pay a daily rate, which depends on the worth of your ship, for the
insurance. This rate will drop 1% for every day you don&#39;t claim, up to a
reduction of 90%. Since the no-claim gets transferred to a new ship when you
buy one, it may be useful to rack up your no-claim days with a cheap ship,
before you buy an expensive one. Note that after an ejection, you have to buy a
new escape pod and thus new insurance. Your no-claim will be reset to 0%. </p>

<h2 id="Types">Ship Types</h2>

<p>There are several types of ships
available, some cheap, some expensive, and each with a different purpose. The
owner of the Ship Yard will gladly inform you on the exact capabilities of each
ship. </p>

<h3 id="Flea">Nanomite</h3>

<p>The Nanomite is the cheapest ship type. It is
small, has few cargo holds, a weak hull and no weapon, shield or gadget slots.
It is capable, however, of travelling 20 parsecs on its fuel tanks, allowing
you to jump over great distances. When you have an escape pod and you need to
use it, you can convert the pod, which is basically a Nanomite without fuel
tanks and cargo bays, into a Nanomite in a few days time for a few credits.
This is always worth your while, since the Nanomite can be sold for a higher
price than you needed to invest to build it, and it will allow you to travel
off a solar system where you have been dropped off, even if there are no ships
to buy there. </p>

<h3 id="Gnat">Minox</h3>

<p>The Minox is the type of ship you start out
with. It is a suitable ship for a starting trader. You can carry one weapon and
one gadget, and have 15 cargo holds available. The maximum range it can travel
on one tank is 14 parsecs. </p>

<h3 id="Firefly">Spathi Scout</h3>

<p>The Spathi Scout is the poor trader&#39;s
dream. It is fairly cheap, has no less than 20 cargo bays, one of each
equipment type slot, and can travel up to 17 parsecs on a tank. </p>

<h3 id="Mosquito">T16 Womprat</h3>

<p>Those who aspire quick money by pirating,
can do no better than buying a T16 Womprat in the early stages of their career.
It can travel up to 13 parsecs on a tank, has a fairly strong hull, and can
carry two weapons next to one shield and one gadget. Its cargo holds are equal
to a Minox&#39;s. </p>

<h3 id="Bumblebee">Vorchan</h3>

<p>The Vorchan is the stronger sister of the
Spathi Scout. It has the same amount of cargo bays and same hull strength, can
carry one extra shield and one extra gadget, and best of all, has extra crew
quarters available so you can take a mercenary with you. It can travel up to 15
parsecs on a tank. </p>

<h3 id="Beetle">Hirogen Freighter</h3>

<p>The Hirogen Freighter is essentially a
freighter. It is a difficult ship to use safely, since it has a weak hull, no
weapons, and only one shield and one gadget slot. It has, however, no less than
50 cargo bays, three crew quarters and can travel 14 parsecs on its fuel tanks.
For those who want to get rich by trading, a Hirogen Freighter might be an
excellent choice, as long as you visit safe systems. </p>

<h3 id="Hornet">Vorlon Cruiser</h3>

<p>The Vorlon Cruiser in the hands of
pirates can make a dangerous opponent. With its fairly strong hull, three
weapon slots, two shield slots, one gadget slot and two crew quarters, you
better flee this ship when you are still flying a Minox yourself. It has 20
cargo holds to fill with stolen goods. It can travel up to 16 parsecs on a
tank. </p>

<h3 id="Grasshopper">YT-1100</h3>

<p>The YT-1100 is suitable
for both pirating and honest trading. It has 30 cargo holds, two weapon and
shield slots, three gadget slots and three crew quarters. It can travel up to
15 parsecs on one tank. </p>

<h3 id="Termite">T&#39;khar Uberhauler</h3>

<p>The T&#39;khar Uberhauler is the ultimate
trading ship. It has a strong hull, three shield slots, two gadget slots, three
crew quarters, and no less than 60 cargo holds. Its weaknesses are its single
weapon slot and relatively short travelling distance of only 13 parsecs. </p>

<h3 id="Wasp">Vix Dreadnought</h3>

<p>The Vix Dreadnought is the ultimate pirate ship.
It has a strong hull, three weapon slots, two shield slots, two gadget slots
and three crew quarters. It can travel up to 14 parsecs on a tank. If there is
any weakness to it, it is probably its price. Its 35 cargo holds make it also a
suitable ship for traders when they like to travel to dangerous systems. </p>

<h2 id="Tech">Tech Levels</h2>

<p>The tech level of a solar system, that is, the
level of technological development, influences many things a trader have to
take into account. First, each of the possible trade goods, ship types, and
items of equipment has a certain minimally needed tech level for a system to
produce them. Also, if the tech level of a system is lower than the tech level
minimally needed to make use of certain goods, you won&#39;t be able to sell those
goods in that system. And perhaps most important: the tech level heavily
influences the price you have to pay for goods and the price you get for
selling them. In particular, low-tech goods like natural resources are fairly
cheap in low-tech systems, while hi-tech goods are expensive. The opposite
holds for hi-tech systems. </p>

<h3 id="Pre">Pre-agricultural</h3>

<p>In a pre-agricultural system, the inhabitants
live simple hunter/gatherer lives. They have little interest in most outside
goods, since they don&#39;t know how to use them. They might sell some nice furs,
and sometimes you will be allowed to fill your cargo bays with water. Even food
isn&#39;t available here, since they gather just enough to keep themselves alive.
They might be interested in buying your food, but don&#39;t expect to fetch a high
price for it. If you are scrupulous, you might try to get them addicted to
narcotics. </p>

<h3 id="Agricultural">Agricultural</h3>

<p>In an agricultural
system, the inhabitants live in farm communities and mainly produce lots of
food. People use simple tools and have a healthy interest in many outside
goods. Water, furs and food are traded, and besides those items you can sell
games and medicine. They can be taught to use firearms, and drugs might also be
in demand. </p>

<h3 id="Medieval">Medieval</h3>

<p>In a medieval system, people usually live
in towns, cities, keeps and castles. Besides water, food and furs they sell
ore, which they produce in mines, usually dug out by slaves. Except for
machines and robots, they are interested in anything you want to sell to them. </p>

<h3 id="Renaissance">Renaissance</h3>

<p>During the renaissance,
people discover the sciences and lots of new inventions make the lives of the
citizens easier. They can use almost anything you want to sell to them, except
for robots, for which they can&#39;t produce the power to keep them running. Ore is
dug out efficiently and can be acquired in great quantities, and the fun board
games that are produced are in demand everywhere in the galaxy. They even
produce firearms, which are greatly sought after by collectors. </p>

<h3 id="Early">Early Industrial</h3>

<p>In an early industrial era, science has
lead to technologies, which enable the people to build and run factories. It&#39;s
a time of hard work, and people are interested in anything you want to sell
them. Especially robots fetch a high price here, since they increase the
production enormously and can&#39;t be produced locally. The machines the factories
use are also sold, and simple medicines are produced in large quantities.
Although some people might experiment with narcotics, these still aren&#39;t
produced in factories and therefore not sold. </p>

<h3 id="Industrial">Industrial</h3>

<p>In an industrial system
manual labor has become rare. Everything is produced in factories, and
anything, except for robots, which are still far too expensive to produce, can
be acquired here. You will find a market for all your goods. </p>

<h3 id="Post">Post-industrial</h3>

<p>In a post-industrial world, computers start to
control the world and factories are manned by mostly robots. People work in
creative, service oriented or entertainment jobs, if they aren&#39;t simply goofing
off all the time. People are usually rich and there is a good market for
everything, both in buying and selling. Especially natural goods and resources
like food, water, furs and ore can get you a good price, since pollution and depletion
have often become great problems during these times. </p>

<h3 id="Hi">Hi-tech</h3>

<p>In a hi-tech world, there is no real need for
people to work at all. Computers have taken over everything; even creative
work, and often the citizens have become part computer themselves. Hi-tech
goods like machines and robots are especially cheap in such worlds. Bring
natural goods with you as trade, and you will be astounded at the profits you
can make. </p>

<h2 id="Political">Political Systems</h2>

<p>Each of the solar
systems has a government. The type of government influences mainly the number
of police ships, pirates and traders you will encounter en route to that
system, how easy it is to bribe government officials, and whether or not
certain goods are forbidden in the system. Government types that attract pirates
usually scare traders away, which mean that, since they can&#39;t import much,
their markets are willing to pay good money for almost everything you bring
them. </p>

<h3 id="Anarchy">Anarchy</h3>

<p>In an anarchy there is, in fact, no
government at all. It&#39;s every man for himself. No one will volunteer to protect
the others, resulting in a total lack of a police force and crime everywhere.
Traders fear to visit an anarchy. Regardless the technological development,
anarchies may arise when the time is ripe for a revolt. If the tech level has
at that point reached a post-industrial state, the system will usually fall
back to an earlier state because of the ensuing chaos. Due to the lack of
co-operation in an anarchy, even the first needs of life are scarce, and food
might bring a reasonably good price. </p>

<h3 id="Capitalist">Capitalist State</h3>

<p>A capitalist state is
based on the principle of fair trade, often not excluding the trade in illegal
goods. Government&#39;s interference in society&#39;s affairs occurs seldom, and a
police force is only supported to protect the individual rights of the
citizens. Traders are welcomed enthusiastically. There is no system in which
people are as free and wealthy as in a capitalist state (mostly because those
that are unwilling or unable to work have little chance to survive), and therefore
criminals, who often recruit their confederates amongst the poor and
discontented, find it difficult to root in such a system. Industrial
developments are needed for a capitalist state to develop. Ore, needed for
construction, is often in high demand. </p>

<h3 id="Communist">Communist State</h3>

<p>In a communist state the rights of the
individual are subjugated to the rights of society as a whole. There is no
individual freedom in a communist state, and a strong police force sees to it
that this is the way things stay. However, since the police force mostly exists
to suppress the citizens, and people crave for illegal goods, crime is also
abundant, and bribes are readily accepted. The few incorruptible policemen may
deal harshly with traders in illegal goods, though. Industrial developments are
difficult to achieve under this form of government. </p>

<h3 id="Confederacy">Confederacy</h3>

<p>A confederacy consists
of a number of previously independent states, which have decided to unite under
one government. The states may still decide many things on their own, but the
central government certainly makes them stronger. The police force is fairly
strong and knows how to deal with traders in illegal goods. Crime levels are
moderate. Traders may find lucrative business here, and technological
developments can range all across the scale, though for really hi-tech
developments the states need to integrate a little bit more. People like to be
entertained and you may get a fine price for games. </p>

<h3 id="Corporate">Corporate State</h3>

<p>In a corporate state one corporation has
expanded so far that it literally owns the whole system. The police force is
paid by the corporation and is strong and motivated, minimizing crime. Traders
are very welcome, and they, in their turn, love corporations, which support
successful business enterprises. Corporations don&#39;t mind trading illegal stuff:
as long as a profit is made, everybody is happy. The police whose reports are
also reviewed by the Space Corps won&#39;t let you get away easily trafficking them
though. A corporation needs at least an industrial tech level to be able to
grow into a corporate state. To stimulate production, robots are highly
demanded. </p>

<h3 id="Cybernetic">Cybernetic State</h3>

<p>A cybernetic state can
arise from a hi-tech society in which people integrate with their computers to
such a level that they become inseparable. Citizens have no need for illegal
goods and won&#39;t trade them, though they don&#39;t really mind if someone carries
them. Both police force and pirates are strong. It&#39;s indeed true that they tend
to destroy each other a lot, but because most of them have backed up their
lives on a hard disk somewhere, they simply don&#39;t care. Traders like to buy
hi-tech goods from a cybernetic state, where they are often cheap. To build all
the machines, the state needs ore and you might fetch a good price for that. </p>

<h3 id="Democracy">Democracy</h3>

<p>In a democracy the majority&#39;s vote
counts. People are free to think and act as they like, and the government
represents the majority of the people. Since in a democracy the rights of the
individual, even the criminal, are respected, the police sometimes have troubles
dealing with criminals. That&#39;s why the police force isn&#39;t very strong in a
democracy, but the chances for crime to bloom aren&#39;t that great also.
Democracies often lead to a fairly rich population, which makes the system
attractive for traders, even those in illegal goods. Democracies may arise
wherever freedom is respected. Since people are free to entertain themselves,
games are in demand. </p>

<h3 id="Dictatorship">Dictatorship</h3>

<p>In a dictatorship, a
self-proclaimed usurper reigns according to his whims. He often supports a strong
police force, but uses that mostly to protect his own possessions, and
criminals will find many ways to practice their arts. Since the usurper is very
wealthy, traders who aren&#39;t too easily scared often find a visit to a
dictatorship worthwhile. Depending on the enlightenment of the dictator, a
dictatorship might advance very far technologically speaking. </p>

<h3 id="Fascist">Fascist State</h3>

<p>A fascist state is ruled by a strong
military force, and is based on fear and hatred for everyone and everything
from outside. Police is everywhere, and illegal activities are dealt with
swiftly and efficiently. However, certain government institutions have a lot of
power and tend to abuse that power by raiding random ships, without fear of
retribution. Drug abuse is considered the worst crime imaginable, punishable by
death. People fear to trade narcotics for that reason so it won&#39;t do a trader
any good to ship them in. Traders usually avoid fascist regimes, because they
are treated with contempt and disgust. Fascist states can occur at any level of
technological development where mass media are supported. To churn out all the
weaponry needed for the suppression of the people, fascist states especially
like to buy machines. </p>

<h3 id="Feudal">Feudal State</h3>

<p>A feudal state consists of a collective
of small countries, each ruled by an independent king or baron, often at war
with several of their neighbors. Except for a hired guard here and there, there
is no police force to speak of and pirates have free reign. Illegal goods are
readily accepted, but traders fear to visit these systems. Due to the lack of
co-operation between the countries, technological developments are almost
impossible in a feudal state. They usually will pay a good price for firearms,
though. </p>

<h3 id="Military">Military State</h3>

<p>A military state is governed by an army.
The police force is strong and incorruptible, making crime virtually absent in
such a system. For traders there is a lot to gain here, except those that deal
in narcotics since drug dealing deserves capital punishment, which has removed
all potential buyers from the system. Military states are encountered with any
tech level, which at least supports the use of firearms. They like to use
robots for combat, so you can sell them here for a fine price. </p>

<h3 id="Monarchy">Monarchy</h3>

<p>A monarchy is ruled by an enlightened king,
who leaves his subjects free to seek their own ways. The king protects his
subjects with a reasonably strong police force, and crime levels are moderate.
Traders fairly often visit monarchies. After a state has reached a high enough
technological level, however, people tend to get annoyed with the harmless
whims of their ruler and replace him with another form of government. The king
usually likes to take good care of his people, and medicine is often in high
demand. </p>

<h3 id="Pacifist">Pacifist State</h3>

<p>Under a pacifist government, love and
respect for nature dictates the way of the people. The citizens are peaceful
and abhor crime, so for criminals, especially those that deal in firearms,
there isn&#39;t much to gain here. Due to the lack of crime, the police force can
also be minimal. Traders like to visit pacifist states, though they will mostly
bring in natural resources, since people won&#39;t produce or find use for
technological products. </p>

<h3 id="Socialist">Socialist State</h3>

<p>A socialist state is based on the
principle that people should take care of each other. While this may work as
long as just a few people take advantage of the welfare system, it crashes when
the productive part of society realizes that they are forced to support not
only the needy, but also the lazy. Production tends to slow down at that point,
which ultimately results in the fact that a socialist state will never enter a
post-industrial era. The police force is weak and corrupt, and crime can
blossom. Usually illegal goods are rejected by official policies, but
unofficially are readily accepted. </p>

<h3 id="Satori">State of Satori</h3>

<p>When a society has reached a state of
Satori (&quot;enlightenment&quot;), the citizens can be compared to Zen monks.
They are poor but content, even happy, and don&#39;t have much interest in worldly
goods. They will usually lead an agricultural life. There is little police
around, but a police force is not needed anyway, because crime is virtually
non-existent. Traders find there&#39;s little to gain in such a system, especially
if they try to sell illegal goods, and will usually just pass it by. </p>

<h3 id="Technocracy">Technocracy</h3>

<p>In a technocracy, people
believe that for every problem there is a technological solution. There is no
fear to experiment with new technologies, because, if there is a problem,
another technology may be developed to deal with it. Anything made by human
hands, even firearms and narcotics, interest the citizens of a technocracy,
even if they themselves are peaceful and shun the use of drugs. A strong police
force will protect the citizens, and crime has little chance. Traders like the technologies
they may find in such a system. Any system, which is at least industrial in
nature, may become a technocracy. Due to the lack of interest in the natural
environment, water is often polluted in a technocracy and there is a great need
for imported fresh water. </p>

<h3 id="Theocracy">Theocracy</h3>

<p>A theocracy is organized around the
worshipping of one or more gods. People live in moderation and let commandments
rule their lives. Illegal goods are strictly forbidden and a strong police
force makes sure every citizen adheres to that. Crime is minimal, trading is
moderate. Science is almost at a standstill in a theocracy, so one won&#39;t
encounter it in industrial states. Even though narcotics are forbidden and
difficult to sneak by the police, they are in demand for ritualistic purposes
and you can sell them for a good price. </p>

<h2 id="Tips">Tips</h2>

<ul style="margin-top:0" type="disc">
 <li>It is best to travel with at least one of your cargo bays full, if only with
     a canister of water. That way, if you have to surrender to pirates, they
     will find at least something to steal and won&#39;t resort to extorting you.
     Besides, when one of the pirate ships in a system has robbed you, he will
     probably have sent the message to the other pirates in the system that you
     are picked clean, and in all likelihood the others will leave you alone
     after that. </li>
 <li>Special situations in a system, like war, a cold spell, or boredom, last a while.
     It may be worth your while to bring such a system the goods they require
     from neighboring systems, since you can sell them with great profit.
     Newspapers may give information on special situations on nearby systems.</li>
 <li>When you find two systems close to each other which require goods which the
     other one produces cheaply, you might find it tempting to keep travelling
     between them. However, since it will take a while before the stock of a
     system is replenished, this usually works only for a few short days. After
     that, you better seek your luck elsewhere.</li>
 <li>Be warned that when you become richer, you will attract stronger types of
     pirates. Also, when the police start to consider you a real villain, they
     will send more and stronger ships after you. </li>
 <li>Sometimes you get an offer to go on a special assignment for someone. You should
     remember, that if this assignment would be easy, the person who offers it
     to you would probably do it himself. So don&#39;t be too eager to follow up on
     such an assignment, unless you are fairly sure that you can stand your
     ground when things get a bit troublesome. </li>

 <li>Don&#39;t
     be a hero. You have only got one life. Fleeing <em>is</em> an option.</li>
</ul>

<p> </p>

<h2><a href="#Gameplay">Gameplay</a></h2>

<ul style="margin-top:0" type="disc">
 <li><a href="#Quests">How do I get quests?</a></li>

 <li><a href="#Scarab">How do I do damage to the Scarab?</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Moon">How do I claim a moon?</a></li>
 <li><a href="#BuyMoon">At which system can I buy a moon or sell tribbles?</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Berger">I can&#39;t find professor Berger. Where is he?</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Tribbles">How do I get rid of those annoying tribbles?</a></li>
 <li><a href="#BuyWeapons">How do I buy weapons for my ship? How do I get to the
     bank?</a></li>

 <li><a href="#Percentage">I don&#39;t understand what the scoring percentage means!</a></li>
 <li><a href="#Interest">I have a huge debt but I don&#39;t pay interest!</a></li>
 <li><a href="#TooHard">This game is too hard!</a></li>
 <li><a href="#NoMoney">I can&#39;t seem to make any money!</a></li>
 <li><a href="#PsychoRating">I&#39;m a crook/criminal/villain/psycho. How do I get rid
     of that rating?</a></li>

</ul>


<div align="center" style="text-align:center">

<hr size="2" width="100%" align="center"/>

</div>


<h2 id="Gameplay">Gameplay</h2>

<p><a name="Quests"/><strong>How do I get quests?</strong><br/>Sometimes
on the System Information screen (the first screen that is shown when docking
at a new system) in the lower right-hand corner there is a button marked
&quot;Special&quot;. Tap on this button to access special features, like
quests. Note that most quests have special requirements, and you only see the
button if you meet these requirements. Notably, most quests are not given to
criminals (since they aren&#39;t trustworthy). On the other hand, there are also a
few quests which only criminals can get.</p>

<p><a name="Scarab"/><strong>How do I do damage to the Scarab?</strong><br/>
This is
explained in the game, but it seems some people miss this. The Scarab can only
be damaged by Pulse lasers. On Beginner, Easy and Normal level, this will solve
your problem. On Hard and Impossible level you may find that Pulse lasers are a
bit too weak to best the Scarab. However, the game offers you a solution for
that which I will leave for the player to discover.</p>

<p><a name="Moon"/><strong>How do I claim a moon?</strong><br/>
Usually
when I get this question, the person who asks has not discovered the
&quot;Special&quot; button. The moon is a quest. You get it just like the other
quests. The previous answer explains how. Incidentally, there are four systems
in the galaxy that sell a moon. You need to be worth at least 400,000 credits
to get the offer, though. The moon itself costs half-a-million credits. When
you have bought a moon, you have to travel to the Utopia system to claim it, by
tapping the Special button when docked there.</p>

<p><a name="BuyMoon"/><strong>At which system can I buy a moon or sell tribbles?</strong><br/>
Sorry,
I can&#39;t tell you. This is decided randomly at the start of the game. However,
four systems sell a moon (if your net worth is at least 400,000 credits) and
three systems buy tribbles (if you have them on board). So if you just coast
from system to system you are bound to encounter one of them eventually. Also,
since version 1.2.0 newspapers may give information on where to find a moon
seller or tribble buyer.</p>

<p><a name="Berger"/><strong>I can&#39;t find professor Berger. Where is he?</strong><br/>
He
should be on some Hi-Tech system, but it&#39;s determined randomly which system. If
you can&#39;t find him, just surrender to the aliens, and they will take the
artifact from you without harming you any further. I have checked whether there
is an error in this quest, but until now I have always found Berger&#39;s hiding
place.</p>

<p><a name="Tribbles"/><strong>How do I get rid of those annoying tribbles?</strong><br/>
The
tribbles are kind of a joke, added as a tribute to the original C64 version of
Elite. The best way to get rid of them is to find a place to sell them. Three
solar systems in the galaxy enable you to do that, and they can bring great
profits. You can also get rid of them by selling or destroying your ship, but
that&#39;ll cost you. It&#39;s up to you to think of a way to reduce those costs
considerably. There is yet another method of removing tribbles, which ties in
with one of the new quests. You discover this automatically if it applies to
you.</p>

<p><a name="BuyWeapons"/><strong>How do I buy weapons for my ship? How do I get to the bank?</strong><br/>
Use the Command button on the lower icon menu.
This menu allows access to all game functions, including buying and
selling of equipment, the galactic chart and the bank.</p>

<p><a name="Percentage"/><strong>I don&#39;t understand what the scoring percentage means!</strong><br/>
It&#39;s an
indication of how well you played the game. It is tuned so that when you win
the game by claiming a moon in average time with an average amount of money on
Normal difficulty level, you score 100%. If you play on Beginner or Easy level,
you will probably never reach 100%. If you play on Hard or Impossible and win
the game, you will probably score a lot higher than 100%. I have had reports of
people scoring close to 300% on Impossible level. Incidentally, the help text
that explains the scoring mechanism contains some errors in version 1.1.2 and
lower. It is corrected for version 1.2.0.</p>

<p><a name="Interest"/><strong>I have a huge debt but I don&#39;t pay interest!</strong><br/>
I am
sorry to disappoint you, but you actually <em>do</em>
pay interest. It&#39;s just that the interest is not, like in similar games, added
to your debt, but automatically deducted from you cash balance as soon as you
warp. Only if you don&#39;t have enough cash, your debt is increased. You can see
this on the Target System screen, where you can get a specification of the warp
costs. I did this in order to not let players run around gathering debts and
then finishing the game without ever paying them off again.</p>

<p><a name="TooHard"/><strong>This game is too hard!</strong><br/>
That&#39;s
why there is a difficulty level, which you can set from the New Commander
screen. &quot;Beginner&quot; level is definitely easy, indeed, it&#39;s too easy,
and it&#39;s only meant to get a feeling for the game without dying every few days.

&quot;Easy&quot; level is a bit challenging for new players, but after a game
on this level you&#39;ll probably want to switch to &quot;Normal&quot;. &quot;Normal&quot;
is the way the game was originally implemented, before the difficulty levels
were added. This level is definitely playable: I for one have no problems
playing this level to the end. You have to find the right tactics, though.
&quot;Hard&quot; level is indeed hard. I find it very challenging.
&quot;Impossible&quot; level is a lot harder than &quot;Hard&quot;, and to be honest;
I have never tried playing it. I have had many reports of people winning this
level, though.</p>

<p><a name="NoMoney"/><strong>I can&#39;t seem to make any money!</strong><br/>
The
best way to make money is to use the special events, which sometimes occur in
solar systems. For instance, when there is a drought people pay a lot for
water, when they lack workers they pay huge prices for machinery and robots,
and when it&#39;s very cold, they crave furs. The <a href="http://ticc.uvt.nl/%7Epspronck/spacetrader/SpaceTrader.html" target="_blank">documentation</a> gives the specifics on all the
trade goods in this respect.</p>

<p id="PsychoRating"><strong>I&#39;m a crook/criminal/villain/psycho. How do I get rid of that rating?</strong><br/>
Being a
villain or psycho can be tough. The police will send strong ships after you.
But you deserved it: you attacked police ships or innocent traders. And not
just one, a whole lot of them. Your police record will slowly revert back to
clean over time. However, if you are a psycho this can take something like
three game months (and a lot longer on Hard or Impossible level). So what can
you do? Apart from stopping attacking police ships and traders (every attack
will hurt your record), your best bet is to go hunt pirates. Every pirate you
kill will help your record. If you are lucky, you might encounter a hacker who
is willing to reset your record to clean for a price. And if all else fails,
surrender to the police and you will be punished, after which you can resume
your life as an honest trader. Psychos don&#39;t have that last option, though.</p>

<h2 id="LastWord">Last Word</h2>

<h2>Dark Nova is based on Space Trader by Pieter Spronck.</h2>

<p>Dark Nova was developed by Dead Jim Studioa. Copyright © 2009 Dead Jim Studios. Code is GPL and available from <a href="http://darknova.net" target="_blank">http://darknova.net</a>.</p>

<p>The Dark Nova Team:</p>

<p>Shon Burton --Executive Producer / Design<br/>
Scott Weaver --Producer, Sound, Design<br/>
Alexey Medvedev --Coding / Porting iPhone App<br/>
Tyson Manglesdorf --Art &amp; Illustration</p>
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